convict
Americanverb (used with object)
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to prove or declare guilty of an offense, especially after a legal trial.
to convict a prisoner of a felony.
-
to impress with a sense of guilt.
noun
-
a person proved or declared guilty of an offense.
-
a person serving a prison sentence.
adjective
verb
noun
-
a person found guilty of an offence against the law, esp one who is sentenced to imprisonment
-
a person serving a prison sentence
adjective
Other Word Forms
- convictable adjective
- convictible adjective
- convictive adjective
- convictively adverb
- preconvict verb (used with object)
- reconvict verb (used with object)
- unconvicting adjective
- unconvictive adjective
Etymology
Origin of convict
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb convicten, from Latin convictus, past participle of convincere, equivalent to con- “with, together” + vic-, variant stem of vincere “to overcome” + -tus past participle suffix; Middle English noun convict “(a) convict,” adjective convict “convicted,” past participle of convicten “to convince” (or directly from Latin ); con-, convince
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He has "not been sentenced to death" and if he is convicted, "the punishment, according to the law, will be imprisonment, as the death penalty does not exist for such charges", it added.
From Barron's
In June, a Taiwan court convicted a Chinese ship captain of using his Togo-flagged cargo vessel to cut an undersea internet cable—a recurring national-security issue for the island.
He was 26 when he was convicted and sent to federal prison for 14 years.
From Los Angeles Times
Had she been convicted, she could have faced a jail term.
From BBC
The first execution of a prisoner arrested and convicted in connection with the protests is understood to be imminent, human rights activists said.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
